Tender is the Night

“...her eyes followed his figure until it become a dot and mingled with other dots in the summer crowd.”

Absolute classic. It has changed my entire perspective about human relationships, love and loneliness, in general. This being my first Fitzgerald book, I found it a bit tedious to read in the beginning. So much that I was about to quit reading it altogether (Now I am glad that I didn't). But as the book progresses, it turns out into a beautifully woven tragic and wistful love story. Usually, I'm not a fan of love stories but this book is just way out of league. I'm in awe and admiration with Fitzgerald's grandiose and royally elegant style of writing. He sure is a master of his words. The character development in this book is just top notch. The way Fitzgerald portrays the protagonist's fall from grace, throughout the novel, is just breath-taking. You end the book with a myriad of mixed emotions. I sort of felt bad for Dick Diver though. Looking at his indignity and his pitiable state at the end, it just strengthened my cynicism about the concept of love. The book is also full of amusing epigrams and aphorisms, which makes it profound at times. Overall, it's a thought provoking masterpiece by Fitzgerald. Will explore more of the genius of F. Scott Fitzgerald!